Last month, the federal agency extended the deadline for electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) reporting for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals participating in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting and EHR Incentive Programs to March 13 as well.

As CMS Chief Medical Officer and Director of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality Kate Goodrich said at the time, the extension is part the federal agency’s efforts to address stakeholder concerns.

“We believe that these efforts reflect the commitment of CMS to create a health information technology infrastructure that elevates patient-centered care, improves health outcomes, and supports the healthcare providers who care for patients,” she wrote (via The CMS Blog). “We continuously strive to work in partnership with hospitals and the provider community to improve quality of care and health outcomes of patients, reduce cost, and increase access to care.”

Late last year, CMS officially released the final rule for the Quality Payment Program as part of MACRA implementation. Of the program’s two pathways for eligible clinicians to avoid negative payment adjustments, the Merit-based Incentive Payment System replaces the EHR Incentive Programs, Physician Value-based Payment Modifier System, and PQRS beginning in 2017.

Payment adjustments for the new program will take effect beginning in 2019. However, the federal agency has given QPP eligible clinicians flexibility in the first year of MIPs and Advance Alternative Payment Models by allowing participants to pick their own pace in 2017.